


We're Here

by Fligleflorence



Series: single dad au (su) [5]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Appendicitis, Caring, Comfort, Emetophobia, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exhaustion, Family, Fever, Gen, Hospital, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Major Illness, Medical Inaccuracies, Oxygen mask, Panic, Panic Attack, Pneumonia, Sick Character, Unconsciousness, Vomiting, Whump, Worry, no beta we die like jasper's dignity, rated teen for description of illness and medical use of drugs, waking elsewhere trope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29058372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fligleflorence/pseuds/Fligleflorence
Summary: After almost three months of his gem on full blast and being unable to sleep, Steven’s body faces the repercussions when it runs out of power. But his family has his back.A sickfic that starts heavy on the hurt and hurdles down into family comfort/caring central.
Relationships: Doug Maheswaran/Priyanka Maheswaran, Greg Universe & Steven Universe, Jasper & Steven Universe, Priyanka Maheswaran & Greg Universe, Priyanka Maheswaran & Steven Universe, Steven Universe & Everyone
Series: single dad au (su) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035186
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	1. It all happened at once.

A violent shudder wracked his body before he retched into the toilet. The foul substance grated against the inner walls of his throat in an endless and merciless flow. He tried to breathe in between the bouts, having only enough time to engulf a single breath or two before his stomach expelled yet another impossible amount of bile.

A moment of reprieve was finally granted, his stomach had calmed for the moment but the unpleasant aftermath made itself well known. There was a foul taste of stomach acid that was lingering in his mouth, along with remaining acid burning his throat. Splitting it into the toilet seemed to be useless at this point, but he did so regardless. He then tried focusing on taking deep breaths as he laid his head against the cool porcelain seat, to replenish the oxygen his brain was demanding so relentlessly. His lungs only burned with the effort, resulting in deep, chesty coughs. It felt like the phlegm that was in his lungs refused to move, or if he successfully coughed up any it felt as if it were instantly replaced. Breathing itself began to be increasingly difficult, hacking became coughs, eventually turning to wheezes. His lungs were demanding a break but his brain was demanding oxygen, both demands impossible to meet at once. 

He had begun to feel unwell, yes, but the severe symptoms hadn’t reared their ugly head until a few hours ago. What was just a simple headache and slight upset stomach had suddenly exploded into painful retching, unbearable nausea and deep coughing. His stomach violently churned and expelled anything he tried to down, his head pounded as if it were about to explode with a white static, his ears and nose felt as if they were stuffed with cotton, his throat inflamed as if it was on fire, and his gem which usually glowed with a powerful light was dark. 

He had rushed from the couch to the bathroom the first few times, eventually giving up entirely on leaving as his body began to succumb to exhaustion. He lost track of how long he remained slumped up against the toilet seat, or how many times he had retched painfully into it. He could feel his energy slowly being sapped away with each bout, unable to rest before another onslaught came once again rushing up from his insides. He thought he could handle it at first, thinking it was just the consequence of his gem running on full power for almost three months straight and lack of sleep, something that would pass after a bout or two. By the time he realized he needed to call someone, he was already too exhausted to move and too dizzy to stand. He was trapped in his bathroom, alone. 

The thought sent a wave of terror through him. He couldn’t leave Zoey alone like this! What if whatever this was didn’t pass? What if this wasn't just grief and exhaustion? What if he was actually...

The unsettling feeling of bile rising from his stomach overtook him again, cutting off whatever dark thoughts were surfacing from his panicked mind, with another retch he expelled nothing more than dry heave. He spat the remaining acid into the bowl before half crying, half panting out exhausted breaths, resulting in more weak, wheezing coughs. The room had begun to violently spin, even after clenching his eyes shut he could still feel it. There was no escaping the nausea that plagued his senses, no escaping the pain that riddled his insides, no escaping the need for air yet unable to take any in. 

Just when he thought it couldn’t get worse, a sudden stabbing pain in his abdomen pierced his senses. white hot agony engulfed his entire reality, he couldn’t do anything but ride the wave out. As it lessened he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, greedily gasping for as much air as he could obtain before his lungs tried feebly to cough up more mucus. He hadn’t realized he had slipped from the toilet seat to the floor at first, his senses vaguely taking in the information enough for him to comprehend a few moments later. 

He couldn’t get up or move, all energy having been sapped away. The cool tile floor granted only a sliver of relief for the throbbing in his head and the violent rotation of the room. The pain has lessened in his abdomen, but nowhere enough for relief. His entire body was sore, overextended, exhausted. It couldn’t take this torment any longer. 

He was scared. 

He tried to fight the encroaching darkness, tried to ignore its alluring call, tried to stay awake. He knew he needed to get help, but he couldn’t speak and couldn’t reach his phone. He knew he needed to get up and move but his limbs felt as if they were weighed down like stones at the bottom of a river. He couldn't see, the spinning room blurring into an incoherent mess, black spots dancing in his tunneling vision. He couldn’t breathe without agitating his abdomen or his mucus filled lungs. He couldn’t keep his eyes open. Couldn’t lift his head. Couldn’t even think clearly anymore, thoughts becoming nothing more than incoherent white noise. Everything was disorienting, reality itself was lost on him. 

He gave in. 

…

Someone was shaking him, calling his name. They were speaking to him but he couldn’t make out their words, couldn’t get his tired mind to comprehend the information it was receiving. He tried to open his eyes to see who was speaking. It did little good, the blurred swaying imagery meant nothing to his muddled mind. The effort hurt his already pounding head...

…

He was dangling from something, or being held? He didn’t bother opening his eyes anymore so he couldn’t tell. What was one voice was suddenly many, his head hurt exponentially with the added volume and stomach angrily churning from whatever he was dangling from.

He thought he was shifted, or moved, but couldn’t tell. He didn’t think he was dangling anymore, or maybe he still was and just didn’t notice? The voices quieted down at long last, giving his aching mind a moment of reprieve. A single voice became present, was asking something about him...of him? for him? The voice called his name, he tried to listen, tried hard to focus… he felt the voice wanted him to focus. They asked something, but he couldn’t understand their words and couldn’t answer...was there even a question to begin with? 

Pain 

A sudden white hot explosion of pain, something pressing down on his abdomen sent waves of explosive agony through his body. He couldn’t scream, the only sound he was capable of was a pitiful cry, weak and sorrowful. He felt the all encompassing throbbing, sending waves in tune with his heartbeat. He wanted this unbearable suffering to end but he was too weak to run or fight back, to even move against the unending stabbing was strenuous. Pain engulfed his every thought, taking residence in every fiber of his being direct from its source. He could only cry waiting for the agony to cease...

...

The voice was calling his name again. He could feel his abdomen throbbing but he didn’t know why… couldn’t remember why? Why did everything feel so sore? Why was it hard to breathe?… The voice said something… his name. He could hear it, understood the sounds as words now, clear and less dreamlike. 

“Steven?” 

That was his name.

…

“Mr universe?”

...

“Mr Universe, can you hear me?”

There was a bright light taking up his entire vision. This new voice, who he assumed was the source of the light, was much more clear than the ones beforehand, but where the others felt familiar, this one felt new. The light disappeared and the new voice began to ask him questions.

“You’re in good hands Mr Universe. My name is … I’m a paramedic and I’m here to help you, ok?” 

He blanked in the name, or the new voice didn’t say...he wasn’t sure which. The voice continued. 

“Can you squeeze my hand if you understand?” He hadn’t noticed the gentle grip the voice had on his hand. 

He tried to fulfill the voice’s request, tried to make his fingers cooperate and squeeze the voice’s hand, but every movement felt like a monumental task to his tired muscles. His entire body felt as if it weren’t his own, like he was an unwelcome visitor in a place he didn't belong in. The voice seemed to be satisfied by his weak attempt, praising his efforts even though he wasn’t sure if his hand moved at all

“Very good, you’re doing very well Mr Universe.” 

The new voice continued speaking, yet the clarity from before began to fade. He tried to listen, but for some reason he couldn’t focus. The voice was doing something now, but...

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is part of the Single dad au on tumblr. https://singledadsu.tumblr.com/ and is kinda a continuation of "under the waves unable to surface" but can be read as a stand alone. Also, I've never actually written a sickfic before...or really anything before this... so we just gunna see where this goes from here.


	2. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone barges into the bathroom, problem is she doesn't understand humans well enough to help. Luckily she knows some who do.

Jasper was pacing back and forth in front of the bathroom door, she had given Steven his space at first. He had been destroyed after Connie had been shattered, even his gems fell apart after hearing about it. Jasper herself wouldn’t say she was on close terms with the human, they didn’t hate each other but didn’t love each other either. It was more of an unspoken truce between the two, but she still felt sympathy nonetheless. 

She had noticed the lights from the living room flicker on a few hours ago, saw him, no longer pink, darting between rooms a few times. Eventually he stopped coming out. Jasper usually respected his privacy and stayed outside, enjoying the night sky, but tonight she felt something deep within her gem telling her to investigate. She had unceremoniously kicked down his front door, stomping over to the bathroom over an hour ago. 

She had knocked and called his name, but he didn’t answer, at least not in words. She heard a constant retching sound, usually followed by a strange, wet hacking noise. She decided to respect his need for space a little longer.

She waited. 

The final straw was the sudden scream she heard from within, she pounded on the door. 

“Hey, what’s going on in there?” 

No response. 

She was done waiting! with great speed she rammed her fist through the door’s handle, breaking it clean off.  
...it was unlocked…  
She ignored that and let herself in. 

He was lying motionless at the base of the seat, his back turned to her. “Steven?” 

Still no response. 

She felt a pulse of fear run through her form, through her very gem. She rushed up to him and turned his limp body over in her arms. He was hot to the touch, his hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and his body seemed to be trembling as if cold. She got closer to investigate and could hear a faint clicking sound as his chest slowly rose and fell, almost like the sound of leaves in the fall under someone’s foot. His color was no longer glowing pink, but also wasn’t his normal form's shade of human either, it was almost grey in complexion. There were dark bruises under his eyes and the sheen of sweat that coated his skin was also soaked into his pajamas. She placed a hand on his chest, something within was pulsing rapidly, yet breaths were shallow and slow. She didn’t need to know much about humans to determine that wasn’t a good sign. 

She began to shake him and call his name, to get some coherent explanation out of him. At first his body lolled limply in her grasp, her fear was spiking until she heard the faintest of groans, low and congested. His eyelids fluttered open, glazed half lidded eyes lazily wandering around the room. 

“Steven, hey! Steven!” She tried to gain his attention but he didn’t seem to recognize her at all, didn’t even notice she existed. His brief moment of consciousness was short lived as his eyes vanished under heavy lashes. She panicked and tried to rouse him again to no avail. What was wrong with him? 

She checked the last thing she could to determine the cause, without hesitation she pulled up his t-shirt. She froze. His gem, which usually shone with a dazzling pink light, was dull and dark. He was low on power? Can a diamond ‘be’ low on power? She supposed it wasn’t completely out of the question, he had been out of commission for a few days after his meltdown when he was seventeen, though he claimed it was the transformation and mere amount of gained mass. He had also been running on full capacity for nearly three months with little substance...was it his human needs that drained it? Did hybrids use more energy than normal gems? She had noticed as of late that he hadn’t been spending much time in the sun. Much like how humans need food and water, gems need sunlight… was he starving himself without realizing that? Was it both needs that weren’t being met properly? 

His system was too complex for her to discern on her own, his human side too much of a mystery for her to properly diagnose. As proud as she was, she knew he needed help from someone who would know what to do. She scooped up his unresponsive form in her arms and headed towards the nearest warp pad only pausing when she realized she couldn’t leave Zoey in the house unattended. She headed upstairs to pry the sleeping child from her crib, opting to carry both under one arm each. She didn’t have time for tenderness, speed was her only ally right now. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was peaceful and quiet at the beach house, the gentle waves lapping outside were the only sounds to be heard. The gentle moonlight bathing the house in various shades of blue.

Lion was sprawled out comfortably on the kitchen floor, enjoying a quick late night nap. A nap that wouldn’t be enjoyed as the warp pad burst with its usual energy. Lion perked up to investigate who disturbed his slumber to see Jasper holding a tantrum throwing Zoey under one arm, and a limp Steven in the other. Even from where Lion was he could recognize the stench of sickness in the air. 

The ruckus the child was causing woke the entire house, the gems emerging from their temple rooms and Greg stumbling down the stairs from his. Their confusion quickly turned to alarm when they identified the source of the noise, quickly surrounding the three at the warp pad. 

Lion had seen enough, he knew exactly who to retrieve for this predicament. With a mighty roar he opened a portal and jumped through.


	3. To the rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lion returns with help

The room was utter chaos within seconds. 

Jasper was surrounded in mere moments, being bombarded with questions, barely holding on to her stoic indifference act by a thread. 

“Oh geez, what happened?! Is he ok?”

“Sis, what's going on?”

“Jasper! That is not how you hold people!”

Pearl had already snatched Zoey from under Jasper’s arm as Greg and Amethyst went to investigate Steven under her other. She took the opportunity to square her shoulders as they eased him out of her grasp. 

“Something’s wrong.” She mustered the toughest sneer she could, desperately attempting to hide the crack in her voice. 

“What happened?” Garnet intervened, lightly pressing the issue without crumbling Jasper's fragile façade. To which the others quickly caught on and backed off. 

Jasper began to explain as Greg adjusted his son in his arms, alarmed noting the warmth radiating off of him, his pale complexion and sheen of sweat as pearl had taken on the task of quieting the crying Zoey.

“He didn’t come out of that room humans use all the time.” Jasper looked embarrassed not having memorized the name as she waved a hand around in exasperation. 

“The bathroom, sis?”

“I don’t know! the one with water!” Jaspers snapped in response, earning an unimpressed look from amethyst. 

“Ok” garnet raised her hands in a placating gesture to the both of them. “What happened then?.” 

“He wouldn’t come out, so I went in.” She stood taller. “And he was like...this!” She gestured her open palm to his unresponsive form. “You know how his human side…” her pride stopped her from finishing the sentence and opted to just get out what she actually knew. 

“His gem is dull.” She finished. 

Immediately Greg pulled up his shirt, noting the amount of sweat that was soaked into it and paused. His gem was dark, the light that usually shined from it dim. The gems all crowded around anxiously, not knowing what to do. Garnet turned to Amethyst, not bothering to mask her fear. “How was he when you went to see him?” Her question was not phrased to be accusatory, rather to gain as much information on why his health declined so rapidly. 

“He looked really tired and he was still pink…” she paused, being sure she was recalling every detail correctly. “But he didn’t look this bad.” 

“What do we do?” Pearl's question was calm and earnest, laced with concern. Zoey had finally gone back to sleep on her shoulder, no longer crying about her interrupted bedtime. She was careful not to speak too loud in fear of waking her again. Before anyone could make a suggestion, Lion’s portal appeared. He jumped through into the room with two unhappy people in tow, their hair messy from sleep and pajamas ruffled due to him snagging them up with his teeth. The room was quiet for a brief moment as Lion let the couple go.

“Priyanka? Doug?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is a little on the short side, but I'm planning a much larger chapter next and am very excited. Also Priyanka and Doug gettin character development in single dad baby!!!


	4. The Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group debates on what to do and how to help.

The couple stood and dusted themselves off, Priyanka shooting an irritated glare towards Lion who merely chuffed in response. “Greg, why did your lion friend drag us to your...” Priyanka's question died in her throat the moment her gaze met the group, taking in the sight of a pale, unresponsive Steven in Greg’s arms. 

The couple rushed over immediately, Doug letting Priyanka take the lead. “What happened to him?” She didn’t skip a beat, already checking hIm over. 

“Jasper brought him here just now.” Garnet supplied. “We’re not sure ourselves.” 

“I see.” She felt his rapid pulse when she pressed her fingers to his wrist. Noted how his breathing was slow and congested. She didn’t need a thermometer to know his fever was far too high, his pale and sweaty complexion didn't bode well either. “Was he showing any symptoms in the past few days?” She didn’t remove her gaze from him, trying to get control of her own nervousness.

“No, nothing.” Pearl anxiously adjusted Zoey. “We’ve all been visiting regularly, especially after…” she didn’t dare finish the sentence, but everyone stiffened in response. It was ironic and cruel how someone that was torn away from them made them all come closer as a family... Priyanka quelled the bitter and grievous feeling in favor of further inspection, to distract from it if anything. 

“Steven?”

No response.

After a few more attempts at calling his name, a small sharp inhale gave her indication he was somewhat cognitive, or at the very least conscious in some capacity. 

“Steven, can you hear me?” She noted his eyes moving sluggishly beneath his lids, the only indication other than his violent shivering that he was awake. “I need to check something, alright?” Still he didn’t answer. With Greg’s help she lifted his shirt, if she could determine the issue was human or gem she could at least help with a plan of action. She began to delicately feel the area around his gem, noting how dull it was in comparison to last time he had a physical with her. “If you can, tell me if anything hurts.” She hoped he would at least nod or give any indication he could hear her. He didn’t, but the way he tilted his head made it seem he was trying, It would have to suffice. She felt around the stone itself, other than slight discomfort he didn’t make any indication it was harming him. After thoroughly examining the left side of his abdomen, she moved on to the right. 

She had barely pressed down on the lower right side when he tensed, a pitifully small cry escaping him as he weakly tried to escape her touch. Priyanka lifted her hand almost as quickly as she had pressed down, guilt gripping down on her heart like a hungry snake would its unfortunate prey. 

As horrible as it was, it was all the more so when it all just stopped. His body slumped further into Greg’s panicked grasp like a lifeless puppet and his face slackened. Priyanka had to get closer to ascertain his condition. Breathing was slower than before, pulse was rapid, body unresponsive to any outside stimuli even as she tried to rouse him. 

The entire room felt frozen in time

Jasper was the first to break the shocked silence. “What did you just do?” She stepped forward aggressively before Garnet and Amethyst eased her back, attempting to assure her that Priyanka was trying to help. Pearl simply shushed Zoey back to sleep, even if the cry itself was weak, it was still enough to once again disturb the toddler. And Lion simply watched, wide eyed, unblinking and still.

Priyanka’s mind was racing far too much for her to take notice of any of that happening in the room. “Steven?” Without hesitation she turned to her husband, unbridled and fiery determination in her eyes, turning any fear she felt into fuel.

“Doug, call an ambulance NOW!” She barked out the order with clarity and authority. She lost one, she wasn’t going to lose another! Not! Again!   
“Right!” Doug didn’t hesitate and practically sprinted to the nearest available phone. 

“Can’t we use some of his essence from the fountain?” Amethyst cut in. Garnet adjusted her visor for a moment, looking into the endless stream of possible outcomes as the room turned to her. 

“No.” She stated in absolution. “He needs this.”

“How come?” Pearl questioned with worry. “What happens if we use it?” 

“Every future I see in that path, he heals yes, but only physically.” She looked away. “ he needs this or else...” she paused. 

“Or else this will just keep on happening… won’t it?” Amethyst finished, the entire room now filled with grim understanding. 

Doug had wasted no time dialing for an ambulance during the commotion, already calmly explaining to the operative their emergency. Greg took the opportunity to ask, “what's wrong with him?” His forehead was wrinkled with worry, his eyes holding a sadness and terror that Priyanka often saw in many of her patients' family members. He wanted answers. In honesty she wasn’t entirely sure she had one, he showed possible signs of appendicitis, severe lung infection, maybe even pneumonia...but also signs of possible gem related illness as well, assuming their kind could contract illness. She looked him in the eye, not masking her own terror. 

“I’m not entirely sure, Greg.” 

His reaction was instant, fear becoming terror. “Why?”

She knew deep down that him being her son-in-law alone would cause her to make a possibly fatal mistake. The fear of losing family in her profession could lead to misdiagnosis, taking drastic measures, getting sloppy and ironically lead to death in life threatening situations. Her fear was already clouding her judgement and she knew it, could feel the uncertainty as her mind flipped through multiple variables and outcomes, of a multitude of diagnoses and treatments. At last she answered. 

“Because he’s family.” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The paramedics arrived as swiftly as they could on a sandy beach road. Priyanka and Greg had answered the paramedic’s questions to the best of their ability, noting his half alien heritage, to which there was little surprise given the area they were in and the years spent integrating gems into their world. Jasper had been of most help, being the one who found him, if anything her cooperative demeanor to the situation was the most shocking, not even lifting a finger when they carted Steven into the back of the ambulance, though her gaze laser pinned on him betrayed that somewhat. With some hesitation from Jasper, Greg was the one who insisted going with him. He sat on the opposite side while the paramedics worked. The doors to the ambulance were shut, a slight jerk being the indicator that the vehicle had started moving. 

Greg could only see some of Steven behind the two paramedics, tubes connected to iv bags and catheters being inserted into his arm with needles and an oxygen mask obscuring most of his face. He looked so pale and lifeless. He didn’t realize he had been staring into the abyss when a hand met his shoulder. He snapped back to reality to meet the eyes of a young individual, their face mask obscuring their features, but eyes wide and kind. 

“Are you alright, sir?” It took a moment for him to register the question.

“Y...yeah, this is just…” ‘horrifying, stressful, shocking.’ “This is a first.” The hand tightened its grip in assurance. “We’ll do what we can for him, sir.” 

The tender moment was interrupted by the pickup in speed of the heart monitor, notifying Steven had woken up, the paramedic calmly turned to assess, as well as change their gloves, as the other paramedic continued their work. 

“Mr. universe?” Nothing save for the uneven fog of the oxygen mask, the sound of crackling leaves muffled beneath it. 

“Mr. universe, can you hear me?” There was an audible hitch in his breath and a slight twitch in his face, Greg could have sworn his own heart had skipped a beat. The paramedic presented a small flashlight, lifting each lid to check the dilation of his pupils. 

“You’re in good hands Mr. universe, my name is Robin, I’m a paramedic and I’m here to help you, ok?” His eyes had cracked open a sliver, barely visible, yet still didn’t respond. The paramedic, Robin, took a gentle grasp of his hand. 

“Can you squeeze my hand if you understand?” They patiently waited, gloved hand wrapped around his limp one. Greg leaned in and watched with unease as Steven’s face scrunched in discomfort for a moment. There was a wet click as he swallowed. A moment later and his fingers managed to twitch around Robin’s grasp. 

“Very good, you’re doing very well mr universe.” Robin had kept their tone gentle and calm, Greg didn’t know if he could have had the same level headedness but he assumed it came with the profession. Robin tried prodding him for a few more responses with little success, eventually turning to the other paramedic who had finished setting up the iv bags to ask them some follow up questions. Greg tuned out the medical chatter as he watched Steven’s face slowly go slack again, the thought of simply moving his hand tiring him out like that… 

Soon the two had finished their work, allowing Greg to sit next to Steven for the remainder of the ride. He had woken briefly a few times but mostly seemed too out of it to really respond. All Greg could really do was be there for support until they arrived at their destination. 

On their arrival he was kindly asked to stay in the lobby while the doctors ran tests. It hadn’t taken more than a few seconds after texting everyone that Lion’s portal appeared, (to the surprise of many of the other visitors in the lobby room) the Maheswarans, Jasper, Amethyst and Garnet along for the ride, With Pearl deciding she would stay behind with Zoey until there was news.

Now all there was to do was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *We are fam-i-ly- plays in the background* by now you've guessed that this is going to end very Priyanka and Steven centric (with our boy Doug of course) Also an essay on how to write yourself out of the "just use the essence" cliche, By flingle.


	5. Unfamiliar ceiling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven wakes up to some unfamiliar surroundings. Priyanka recollects the past day and a half.

Moments.

There were moments, like looking through a fogged pair of glasses. Some were more clear than others, yet none had any connections, no way to link one event to the next. Blurred like fragmented paper in the wind, just out of reach. Dreamlike. Some moments seemed incomprehensible, vague inklings of information and unfamiliar changing scenery, others like a split second of clarity. Yet, It all didn’t feel like a dream or sleeping, it felt more akin to blinking in and out of reality at random intervals. Like being swallowed up by nothingness and spat back out for a fraction of time, just to once again be pulled back in.

Lights flashing between reds and blues, figures muffled in speech hovering over him. White walls and bright lights. Familiar presences, people he knew, speaking with ones he didn’t. He hadn’t realized that he now remembered he existed, or that any of this was really happening, he was just there. 

Then the moments began to make sense, began to take shape as reality crept back to him. 

A moment. A hand running through his hair, a hard surface on the palm. Soothing. Speaking, to him or to someone else, like a melodic Monotone song. The movement of the hand and the steady rhythm of the voice was hypnotizing, calming, it was an anchor. It was either dark wherever they were, or his eyes were simply closed. For whatever reason that didn’t seem to matter much, he was too tired to figure it out regardless. All that existed to him was the hand and the voice. Garnet, he realized. 

A blip. Fuzzy white scenery and sounds muffled by silent static. Purple, Amethyst, Sitting at the foot of the bed, Absentmindedly fiddling with something in her hands, the object unclear. She was speaking to someone, or maybe just to whatever she was holding. A long slender figure, Pearl, then came into view, probably who Ame was talking to then, and stood next to her. 

A jump. A hand in his, rubbing circles on the back of his knuckles with their thumb. The hand felt old and calloused from years of use, yet carried the gentlest and tenderest of touch. His Dad. Greg’s voice was low and quiet as he spoke to someone, Steven was barely able to tune in to the conversation. “...And on a lot of antibiotics.” A pause. “Yeah, they said he’s going to be in and out for a bit.” He looked in the direction of his dad's voice. Greg was on the phone with someone, but quickly turned his attention to Steven when he noticed his staring and smiled. “Alright, I’ll keep you posted. Bye.”

A skip… a jump… a blip... Moments. 

Reality slammed back into him instantly, the haze from before seeming to lighten its grip on his mind. He felt strange but couldn’t pin the issue at its source, a bizarre sensation he never felt before. He knows he exists, he knows the world around him is real, but it felt as though he’d been pushed to the back of his own mind, an invisible barrier keeping him trapped there while he could do nothing but observe reality from behind it. 

Something wasn’t entirely right. 

It took more effort than he would like to admit prying his eyes open. Once he succeeded, White walls, a ceiling and a well lit room greeted him. Sluggishly, he dragged his half lidded eyes around, attempting to obtain as much information as possible. There was a tv mounted on the wall, some news story playing that he couldn’t entirely follow. A window was to his left, curtains drawn with some light coming in from the setting sun. Some strange looking machinery to his left as well, next to the bed, accompanied by blinking lights and soft beeping noises. He noticed some tubes attached to a few of them leading to his arm, there was even a strange looking thing clamped onto his finger. On further inspection he noticed the strange tubing around his face, pouring cool air into his nose. 

Oh, hospital. That can’t be good. 

Before he could begin poking and prodding at the intrusions in his arm and on his face, a firm hand stopped him. He comically lolled his head to the right, surprised by the lack of control over his muscles, to see Priyanka. She looked exhausted and spent, hair tied up in a ponytail, clothes slightly ruffled and eyes heavy. He was so invested with her appearance that he hadn’t realized she was even speaking to him at first, though her words finally registered. 

“Don’t pull anything out, Steven.” She sounded exasperated, annoyed even, as if it wasn’t the first time she had said it. Sounded more akin to addressing a confused child than him. 

“Mmkay.” His own voice surprised him, slurred, low and gravely. Getting syllables to go past his mouth seemed like a battle with his lungs to push the air out.

“How are you feeling?” Her tone was soft, “any discomfort or pain?” He had to consider her question, something resonated with it, a quick blip of recollection of it being asked before. He shook off the dejavu and mentally probed himself, before slowly flopping his hands and arms around to check when that failed. It was strange, seeing his body move and being the one who ordered it to do so, yet feeling so disconnected to it. When he finally assessed that there was no pain, or at the very least none he could feel, he decided he had an answer. 

“No?” He let the word linger on his tongue longer than he would have preferred. “D’nt th’nk so” The only response from her was a nod. 

He never realized he had been staring at a wall for a few extra seconds, “Heeey, hwd’we…'' he almost lost his question mid sentence “get...” he gestured his arm lazily to finish what his brain and mouth couldn’t. He could have sworn he saw a flicker of annoyance pass by Pryianka’s face before it fell into sympathy. “You weren’t feeling well, do you remember that?” He did remember feeling bad, throwing up and then… the rest was kinda fuzzy. He had the details of recollection, but for some odd reason it was all so blurred. 

“Ye.” For some odd reason, it was all he could muster for an answer, all questions or even conversation taken away by whatever this bizarre sensation was. His tiredness lasted for only a second before his brain began to process what that could mean.

“M’ I dying?!” Priyanka chuffed, “No Steven, you’re not dying.” 

“Th’n w’y m’i h’re?” He tried to process the information available. He never got sick, he didn’t need a hospital before, he never felt weird like this. 

Except for one time. 

His eyes widened. He was feeling sick and thought it could have been because of his gem. Did the doctors think that too? Did they…

He clumsily tried being his hands to his stomach. “D’ they t’ke it?” Priyanka leaned forward, “no, no. They didn’t need to remove your gem, here.” She helped lead his hands to his midsection, minding the iv tubes. He felt through the fabric of the sheets and the ‘‘thing that doesn’t cover your butt’ to find the hard surface of his gem, comfortably nestled where it belonged. 

“See, right where it should be.” She had long since removed her guiding grasp, allowing him to feel the stone for himself. Once satisfied with the legitimacy that his gem was indeed still there, he let his arms flop to his sides. Though relieved, it still didn’t answer his question. 

“Why do’i feeel f’nny?” 

Priyanka let out a small humorless chuckle. “You’re recovering from the anesthesia” she explained “though you seem to be reacting to it much...differently, than expected.” She paused. “It commonly makes patients ‘feel funny’ after a procedure.”

He had retained only half of that. 

She continued, “there were some complications with your organ placement due to your gem, your appendix needed to be removed and the doctors had to go about the procedure in a different manner.” 

“Appndx?” 

“It’s a small non vital organ.” She began, “yours was infected, close to bursting actually. Along with a full nasal infection, double ear infection, and pneumonia.” She seemed to have stopped herself and rephrased. “You became very ill ...very suddenly.” 

“Oh.” So they took out a...thing… because he wasn’t feeling good? But it was ok because he didn’t actually need it? He didn’t truly have the energy to ask what that ‘appendix’ thing was, though the question of why he felt so disconnected from reality seemed to have been answered. “Ok.” 

Before any more conversation to continue a nurse had entered the room, clipboard in hand. 

“Good to see you’re coming back around now.” The nurse joked, his attention turned to Priyanka with a wink. “Mind if I step in and check up on ya, sir?” Steven didn’t respond other than a moment of eye contact and a nod to the new face in the room before Priyanka answered. 

“He’s much more coherent now.” For some reason he felt like there indeed was some unspoken joke he was missing out on. “Seems to be back, mostly.” That made the nurse chuckle, there was definitely something.

It didn’t take very long for the nurse to finish his examination, mainly only checking the stitches, heart rate, and other processes he didn’t really know much about. Steven had already lost some energy he had before, not really bothering to fight against the bizarre ‘feeling’ as it wreaked havoc on his cognition.

“All right, everything is looking good.” The nurse concluded as he took off his gloves. “Though the doctors do want to keep him overnight for observation.” He didn’t exactly like that notion, but frankly was far too tired to really argue. Though, going home and rolling up in a giant blanket ball sounded very appealing right now. 

“Thank you.” The nurse pointed finger guns at her in response as he left, earning an amused chuckle from Priyanka. 

He began to feel heavy, for lack of a better word, the energy he carried before was simply sapped away. Funny considering he didn’t even do anything. Priyanka must have noticed his drooping eyelids and put a firm hand on his shoulder. 

“Tired?”

“Yeh” it was more of a breath than a word. 

“Go to sleep, we’ll check up on you tomorrow.” 

He hummed and relaxed his head further into the pillows, letting whatever drugs that were in his system do their work. The feeling of weightlessness pulling him under in what felt like actual sleep for the first time in who knows how long. He let out a gentle breath as he let it take him under. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She watched as he fell asleep again, muscles relaxing and eyes close. Though it seemed he would actually remember this time, she wasn’t banking on it. 

Priyanka sighed. It had been a long almost two days for everyone. 

They had all been in the waiting room for a little over an hour when a nurse came to fill them in on his condition; dangerously high fever, pneumonia, appendicitis, nasal and double ear infections, it was if his immune system simply shut down all at once. She shuddered to think of how it was able to manifest so quickly, though a few individuals with gem and human knowledge suggested his gem had been healing the damage before losing power, that he could possibly have been sick much longer before he started experiencing symptoms. 

What she feared the most was the fever, 105 fahrenheit, a temperature that no human being could have survived without brain damage and organ failure. It was determined that either his half alien heritage meant that he simply could survive warmer temperatures than other humans, or his gem was still functioning in some capacity to keep him alive. It had taken a multitude of fever reducers, painkillers and antibiotics before they could even begin to discuss the topic of surgery. Thankfully to everyone’s relief the surgery itself was successful, the time taking longer merely for the hindrance of his gem placement. 

She remembered Greg’s face melt into relief, the gems perking up with the news. She and Doug had practically melted with relief themselves. 

After that it was simply a waiting game.

It took roughly an hour before anyone could see him, but at last the doctors allowed for one visitor at a time. The orange gem, Jasper if she was correct, never truly left, though it seemed the doctors and nurses were too afraid to ask her to leave. She simply stood guard in an obscure corner of the room, stoic and unmoving. Though sometimes she would relocate, mostly with her arms crossed and staring off into the distance. Aside from Jasper, everyone else had taken turns to accompany him while he recovered from the anesthetic. It had taken hours before he was even remotely coherent, Greg had admitted that Steven had never needed any sort of drugs or medicines before and that could have affected his reaction to it. 

To say it was a long painful wait would be an understatement. 

At first he didn’t really wake much, or at least didn’t bother with opening his eyes. When he did at last the reactions were...interesting, at least from the reports of Greg, Doug and the gems. Of course, mostly, the questions of where they were, what was happening, was Zoey alright and so on. Easy enough to explain, though after the fourth and fifth times priyanka must admit that her patience was wearing thin. Others were a bit more strange, asking why clouds didn’t look like giant water droplets, or if pearls nose could slice through bread, and even episodes of giggling at nothing. For the most part it was all harmless. 

That is, until he had a few unexpected panic fueled episodes. She was informed that it wasn’t anything of worry at first, some confusion, some crying, one particularly humorous moment about fish not having legs, very normal responses to anesthetic. Then came her turn to watch him, she remembered vividly as his eyes wandered around the room at first, nothing out of the ordinary, the questions and so on. 

“You’re in the hospital Steven.” She had answered for the umpteenth time that morning. He looked around at that answer, lazily lolling his head, neck muscles simply following the movement. He looked to be processing information, very slowly, but processing nonetheless. He began feeling his face with the tubing around it, observing the catheters in his arm. 

And then his eyes widened. 

His eyes started darting across the room, breath picking up. 

“Wh’r is it?” He looked to Pyianka, “I n’d it, I…” 

She didn’t understand at first, trying to ask him what he meant. He kept repeating the mantra of ‘needing it’ before trying to sit up, settling with lifting his head when that failed. “Steven! Calm down and tell me what you need, ok?.” She tried to gain his attention, he did look at her a moment, some calm coming over him before returning his attention to the iv’s 

And ripping them out. 

She shot up and called for a nurse, her doctor's instincts taking over instantly. It didn’t take long and soon there were two nurses already surrounding him, trying to calm him down, Priyanka had since stepped back to allow them to work. He had tried getting up but it was more than obvious that wasn’t going to happen. Instead he had started crying and clutching to them, pleading with them to ‘give it back’, ‘there was nothing wrong with it’ and he ‘needed it’. The nurses asked him what he meant, being met with the same responses. 

It took a moment, a second of recollection, but a flicker of realization sparked in her. He had confided in her the ‘events’ in White diamond’s head ship, at the time he had said he felt it necessary because he ‘hadn’t found a gp yet’, just so she would know what would happen and what to do if his gem was…

She had walked forward and pulled aside one nurse to explain what the outburst could be. The nurse nodded in understanding and turned her attention back to Steven. “Mr. Universe, do you mean your gem?” His gaze flickered to the nurse. “Pl’s I…” he sniffed “I n’d...d’nt t’ke it.” He had broken down into unintelligible sobs. “It’s ok, Mr. Universe, we didn’t take your gem out.” He looked up at them all, confused and lost. “Here, may I?” The nurse cautiously took his hands, he allowed her to guide them to his gem. She let him feel around, not so much that he could harm the stitching, but enough to calm his panic. “Gently now, see it’s right here. You’re ok sir.” His entire body relaxed instantly, bonelessly melting into the bed, face still reddened and tear stained. He heaved, a few dry coughs escaping him as the nurses went to work cleaning his arm. The blood had pooled a bit into the bed and on his hospital gown, his arm was most certainly going to bruise there. Thankfully cleaning up and changing the bedsheets didn’t take very long, by the time they had inserted new iv’s into a new vein in his other arm, he was already out cold, most likely exhausted due to the exertion of his escape attempt. 

Priyanka sighed in relief as the nurses went to go inform the doctors of the incident, she turned to get some coffee and froze in place. Jasper had taken a few steps forward from her usual spot, eyes pinned to Steven like a mother bear would her cub. An intense, unbreakable gaze. She stood tall and at the ready, shoulders squared and jaw tight. She looked two seconds away from punting someone out a window at the first sign of aggression. Priyanka could understand why so many found her intimidating. She stepped toward the gem, cautiously as to not surprise her. “He’s alright.” Jasper snapped back to reality at that, her head turning to Priyanka in an instant, almost as if nothing else had existed other than him. “Yeah, and?” She brushed her off, clearly still focused on Steven but gaze elsewhere. “Would you like to get some coffee with me?” She offered “he’s going to be out for a bit, we won't need to hover.” Jasper seemed to consider a moment before outright refusing, claiming she ‘didn’t need any pathetic human food’ before Priyanka left for a few minutes later, she had seen Zoey dragging Jasper to the cafeteria, she chuckled to herself at that. A gem that so many people either adored or feared being effortlessly dragged around by a three year old. 

After that she had Greg keep her up to date while she worked, though she was semi retired now she did still take a few patience for checkups. She was on her fifth cup of coffee that day as she sat on the phone with Greg. “Yeah after his panic attack they say they’ll keep a closer eye on him.” She put the cup down. “How’s he doing?” 

She heard a slight huff of air from Greg. “Well he’s still going to be on a lot of painkillers and on a lot of antibiotics.”

“I’m assuming his outburst tired him out.” 

“Yeah” Greg echoed her concern. “They say he’s going to be in and out for a bit.” It made sense, he had exhausted himself during his delirious escape attempt. “ I’ll be by later but, keep me updated.” She could practically hear Greg nod. “Alright, I’ll keep you posted. Bye.” 

An hour later and here she was, thankfully now prepared to handle his confusion. She repositioned herself to watch the news, she had idly put on the tv a few minutes ago to distract herself. She wasn’t really paying attention to any of the stories playing, mostly having it on for background noise. 

Pearl and Garnet then entered the room, she was secretly grateful to be able to go home and get some sleep with Doug. It had been a long almost two days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lil fun fact that i used a little of my own experiences with anesthesia for Steven. though mine was because of a tooth that needed to be removed from inside my gums,(didn't even know it was there, they had to go in through the roof of my mouth) its a crazy story, but def not life threatening. one second they putting in the iv while I'm sitting comfortably in the operating chair, next a couple blips (something about liking beds) and them BOOM I'm mid conversation with someone and giggling like an idiot. though the thought that was going through my head was, "man I am so high right now, this is embarrassing." 
> 
> and then I played sonic colors high as fuck on Vicodin for a week, (not fun, would not recommend) the end.


End file.
